Harry Potter and The Wishes Within
by Celestial Chaos
Summary: HPxHG Harry has spent the past few days with Ron at the Burrow. Now that they're back from Diagon Alley, they brought someone else home with them. Hermione! Is it just Harry, or is she acting a bit strange as of late? Why? Discontinued.
1. Homework and Phone Calls

Author's Notes: Quite common it is now to see those Harry Potter fics float about and here I am writing one myself ^_~. Well, Not much to say other this isn't a HarryxDraco ... those just are really odd to me... I don't really know exactly where the pairing(s) will go(could be the mystery...), so keep in mind, you just have to have read some of the books to understand where it is I'm coming from...This is the story of the 5th year at Hogwarts for all of the students...It'll probably follow along the lines of the past books...But I really can't -write- the whole fifth book...So it's kinda gonna go my way! Keep in mind, I don't own Harry Potter (Though sometimes it'd be pretty cool I suppose...) and all products hereby were from the thoughts of J.K. Rowling, owner and writer of Harry Potter...By the way things written in italics are thoughts...Hope you all enjoy it ^_~  
  
~Harry Potter and the Wishes Within~  
  
  
Lightning struck. A bright flash made its way to the window of Harry's room, enough to cause his awakening. He released a small groan as he groggily reached over to his nightstand, accidentally knocking his glasses onto the floor.   
  
"Gah...Stupid..." said Harry, his voice cracking a bit. Rubbing his eyes, he heard another bolt of lightning strike, and he tried not to jump. Turning slightly, he set his feet upon the ground. As he stood up, he wobbled a bit before making a complete stop. Leaning down, he reached down toward the floor, feeling for his glasses. Grasping them, he stood up, setting the eye wear upon his nose. He looked to the clock on his bedside. Four thirty in the morning.   
  
Who's up this early...? He thought to himself, crossing the carpeted floor toward Hedwig's cage. She was fast asleep, her head nestled underneath her wing. Harry pondered how it was possible for the sound not to wake up her up...  
  
Noticing it was the day before his birthday, Harry felt a small smile curl onto his face. He had never received much from the Dursleys, but the past few years at Hogwarts he had made some very caring friends. Last year, he found himself buried under all the presents, and for that one time, he knew what it was like to have a good birthday. He still felt a little sick after eating all those cakes Hagrid had sent him, but he knew it was worth it, they were delicious.   
  
Another flash of lightning struck and Harry jumped a bit, his gaze falling on the window. The rain had began, and it was torrential in Harry's opinion. He slowly walked back over to his bed, crawling back into its soft grasp, a sigh escaping him. He heard Dudley's horse-of-a-snore noises from the other room. As he closed his eyes, he found himself falling quickly back to sleep, the commotion apparently wasn't enough to keep him awake.   
  
  
********  
  
The gentle sound of the birds outside made Harry's eyes open, and he groaned a tad, rolling over to look at his clock again. It was about time for breakfast to be served, so he got up, dressed himself, and then walked down the stairs, turning into the kitchen.  
  
Usual scene...There was Aunt Petunia cooking some sausage for Dudley and Uncle Vernon. Apparently Dudley had fallen out of his diet during the school year. Too bad, he could've used it a little longer...Harry though to himself, fighting back a smile and a snicker as he sat down in his seat, reaching for a piece of toast.   
  
There was a long string of silence, discluding Uncle Vernon's ruffling of the newspaper and Dudley's snorts between breaths. As Harry nibbled on his toast, Aunt Petunia set another large plate of the blood sausage on the table, both Dudley and Uncle Vernon diving for them. Harry fought the urge to sigh in repulse as Dudley shoved one of the pieces into his mouth, grease and bits of the sausage falling down his shirt.   
  
"Dudley! Get a napkin dear, you're going to get really dirty!" Aunt Petunia's whine made its way across the kitchen as she saw her little boy's shirt, covered in grease and sausage bits.  
  
Dudley released some sort of grunt and then dropped the sausage onto his plate, grabbing at Harry's napkin simply because he had already dirtied his up. With a small snicker, Harry watched as poor Dudley tried to remove all the grease soaking into his shirt. Aunt Petunia made a small squealing noise as she tugged on the paper towel roll, grasping about five or six sheets. Walking over to Dudley, she began to take, one by one, each of the sheets, hoping to remove all of the grease.  
  
"Oh dear...Dudley, go to your room and change your shirt...Bring it down and I'll wash it tomorrow afternoon..." said Aunt Petunia, a bit of a peeved tone to her voice.  
  
Dudley nodded slightly, then stood up, a bit of a shake to the table coming visible. Once he was out of the room, Uncle Vernon set his paper down, looking to Harry.   
  
"We're going out for the day Harry, and we're not going to take you along. We've set a list of chores for you to do while we're gone and I expect them to all be finished when we get back. If they aren't, expect something bad to happen."  
  
Harry stared into Uncle Vernon's eyes, half listening, half daydreaming out what he'd look like with a giant nose...Quickly shaking that thought out of his head, Harry nodded, setting down his toast.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"We're going to into town, that's all," said Uncle Vernon, picking up his paper again.  
  
"Oh, alright...Where's the list?" said Harry, peering over at the counter.  
  
"It's in the living room...You can start once we leave...As soon as Dudley is finished changing."  
  
As if on cue, Dudley came bounding down the stairs, a thud coming from the hallway as he walked into the kitchen. He was about to head toward his plate again, but Aunt Petunia stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"Dudley, go get your jacket, we're going out for the day."  
  
He whined a bit, looking to Harry. "He's not coming is he?"  
  
Harry shook his head gratefully, standing up. "No, I've got some things to get done anyway, no time to go out."  
  
Uncle Vernon glared a bit at Harry, setting the paper down and standing up. He waddled over to the counter, picking up the keys nearby. He shot Harry a look, and it was one he'd never seen before.   
  
"Come on, let's go to the car," said Aunt Petunia, looking to Uncle Vernon.  
  
After the three left, Harry walked into the living room and sighed softly to himself. He picked up the list, finding it was nearing a page before he finished reading it.  
  
"He expects me to do all this?" Harry exclaimed a bit, dropping the list to his side. "I suppose I'll get started then..."  
  
Reading over the list one more time, he decided to start with the easiest: Taking out the trash. Before Harry knew it, he found he had completed over half the list. He had just one or two things left to do until he could be finished. After Harry swept up the dirt into the dustpan, he threw it into the garbage, setting the broom beside the refrigerator where it belonged.   
  
Now noticing he was finished and had an ample amount of time left before the Dursleys would return, he remembered his holiday homework from Hogwarts.   
  
"My transfiguration paper!" Harry exclaimed, turning toward the stairs. At the moment his hand touched the handrail, he phone rang.   
  
He looked into the kitchen, and he walked into it. Reaching without thinking, he picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. "...Hello? Dursley residence..."  
  
A sweet voice came from the other side of the line. "Is Harry Potter there?"  
  
Harry felt a small rise in his heart. Someone was calling for him. The last time that happened, Ron yelled so loudly that Harry thought he was going to be deaf...  
  
"This is him."  
  
"Harry?" The voice seemed to rise a bit. "It's Hermione!"  
  
"Hermione? How are you?" Harry's voice cracked a tad, but he felt a smile curl onto his lips. He hadn't had contact with any of his friends since the last day of school at Hogwarts.  
  
"I've been doing great Harry, I got to go to France again this summer, it was quite fun...I called to wish you a happy birthday tomorrow, and I also wanted to ask you about your Transfiguration paper...What did you write about?"  
  
Harry felt a small lump in his chest. The paper...He hadn't even started. "Sounds like it would've been, and thanks...As for the paper, I wrote about how the way..." He paused, "...how the way a person acts affects what kind of Animagus form they obtain."  
  
Hermione paused for a moment herself. "Really? That's a good topic...How many parchments did yours take?"  
  
Harry didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to sound stupid either, simply because he hadn't started...  
  
"I'm not completely sure, I think two or so...I'd have to check later."  
  
Hermione nodded, though Harry couldn't see it. "Since it was a free choice assignment, I wrote about the same thing - the Animagus idea I mean. I wrote about the laws and how they came to be."  
  
Harry chuckled softly to himself, sitting down in one of the newly clean kitchen chairs. "I bet half the people in the class wrote about Animagi...But it's what Professor McGonagall gets for letting us have our way...She probably figured we'd write about changing tables into rabbits or something.."  
  
Hermione laughed a little in agreement. "Probably, but knowing her, she'll let it slide just once, not admitting what she did was dumb."  
  
Harry and Hermione talked and caught up for what didn't seem too long, but when Harry heard a car pull up, he ignored it, believing it must've been a neighbors or such, the Dursleys wouldn't have come back so early. When Harry heard the front door's lock click open, he felt his heart stop. He wasn't supposed to be caught on the phone...He was going to be in so much trouble.  
  
"...Harry? You still there? Harry? Harry!" Hermione's exclamations stopped once she heard another voice on the other side.  
  
"...HARRY POTTER YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO USE THAT PHONE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"   
  
"I-I...I was finished with my-"  
  
"Don't say a word Harry! You're in a lot of trouble!" said Aunt Petunia, walking over to the phone, picking it up and slamming it down onto the receiver. Hermione gasped, then clutched the phone for a minute. "Stupid...Stupid! I got Harry in trouble..."  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Hmm...what did you think...? I hope you guys liked it ^^;; Review if you would be so kind! 


	2. Birthdays and Parchments

Author's Note: Not much to say other than....Usual disclaimers apply...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Harry backed up a bit, he looked at his door with a sigh. Uncle Vernon locked him up in his bedroom. He was too angry with Harry to even worry what happened to him. Aunt Petunia was nonetheless following the orders of Uncle Vernon, but she put a dinner plate outside his door with a snort. He listened for her footsteps to disappear, and he slowly walked toward the door, opening quickly to retrieve the 'food' and shutting it.  
  
"I have to eat -this-?" said Harry, a sickened expression upon his face as he looked at the mushy glop next to the hardened piece of bread.  
  
"Must've been Dudley's leftovers..." Harry snickered, not afraid if the Dursley's heard him. He walked over to the bed and dropped the plate on the nightstand, peering out the window.   
  
"I hope Hermione doesn't get too upset about me not being able to talk..."   
  
Harry peered out the window, it wasn't even dark yet. He looked to his clock with a bit of a sigh. It was only eight thirty. What was he supposed to do until bed? Then the thought hit him. He should work on his paper. Jumping up from the bed, he stumbled slightly and caught himself before he fell. Hedwig hooted in her cage as she saw Harry grasp at the handle of the closet and she turned around, tails facing him.   
  
"What's the matter with you?" said Harry, quirking one of his eyebrows at the apparently disgruntled owl.   
  
She released another hoot and with a flap of her wings, she hid her head. Harry shrugged it off, reaching into the trunk to pull out his parchment and a quill. Taking the items to the bed, he sat down on it, quickly writing whatever it was he had in his mind at the time about the Animagus.  
  
Time flew by as he wrote his paper, and as he dotted the final 'I', he set the quill down with a collective sigh. It was finished. His gaze warily made its way to the clock. Ten o'clock. "It took me almost two hours to write that?" said Harry, a bit of a curious tone in his voice.  
  
"Nothing's ever taken me that long...Or at least, I think it hasn't..." He mumbled some other things to himself as he picked up the parchment of his essay as well as a few notes. Just as he had finished cleaning up, an owl tapped against his window, scaring him just a bit.  
  
"Ack!" he exclaimed, turning quickly in a half defensive mode to the closed glass. Once he notice, however, that it was the owl that belonged to Hermione, he felt more at ease. Upon opening the window, the owl fluttered in and landed on Harry's bed, a note in its beak.  
  
"A note, hm?" After making sure his heart was slightly slower in its beats, Harry walked over to his bed and pulled the note out of the large owl's beak, breaking off the small seal and beginning to read.  
  
"Dear Harry,  
  
I do apologize for calling you like that. I totally forgot about the incident with Ron and the phone. I just thought that they would be okay with it now. I know your birthday is coming up, so I hope you like your present I got you. You'll get it tomorrow. I've heard from Ron that Ginny has grown very tall and she's becoming a very sweet young girl.   
  
On a different subject, when are you planning on going to Diagon Alley? I was going to go about two weeks before school started, that way I can read up on some of the information beforehand, get a head start! Will you be visiting then? I surely hope you do. Ron said he'd go with me, and that if you wished, Mrs. Weasley would let you stay the week beforehand. Has Ron contacted you lately? With that owl of his, I don't doubt that it wouldn't get there...That little thing is just strange.   
  
Hopefully I can see you soon, Harry. I've missed both you and Ron awfully much, and maybe we could spend some time together at Diagon Alley? Maybe a butterbeer or two? We'll see, won't we?  
  
Best wishes,  
Hermione"  
  
Harry folded the letter back in half, placing in on his nightstand with a small sigh. He was happier now that he had gotten a note from Hermione, simply because she wasn't upset. That was good. A small yawn escaped him, and with a light sigh, Harry felt he should sleep now. Hermione's owl had flown out already, having closed the window behind it. Rather odd, Harry thought, but interesting nonetheless.   
  
Finally placing his papers secretly back where he had retrieved them, Harry switched into his bed clothing. The night sky was dark, stars shining brightly though in a contradictory tone. As he slid into his bed, he smiled with content, hoping that nothing would ruin tomorrow.  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
The day had been like it usually was. Harry had gone downstairs, and like he had figured, the Dursleys said nothing about his birthday to him. He didn't much care anymore, he realized. Uncle Vernon had gone off to work, leaving Petunia and Dudley behind to boss Harry around. The down part of the day was Harry had to work on chores outside, the hot sun having beaten down on him for the most part. Drenched in sweat, yet dry inside at the same time, Harry had hoped to obtain some kind of refreshment, but all he could get while being sneaky was a glass of milk. Not the best choice, but it was better than dirty water.  
  
Petunia left Harry alone for the rest of the day, though every now and then griping about how he hadn't done a very good job. She made him clean up his dirt tracks in the kitchen, but after that, she was mostly silent. She spent most of her time reading a book in the living room with Dudley, trying to help the overly large boy to understand what it was about. He was whining as usual, the TV blaring as Petunia continued to read. Harry hurried upstairs to his safe haven, or what you could call it such.  
  
During the time he heard Dudley and Petunia go outside, Harry snuck out his Potions homework. Snape had made sure to give everybody extra hard assignments over the vacation simply because he didn't end off the year very happily. He was always so uptight now...Much more so than he used to be. This parchment, however, compared to the Transfiguration one, had more than enough scribbled down on it to make a good paper. Harry made sure the door was blocked so none of the Dursleys could enter, and once that was out of the way, the young Potter boy began to work.  
  
It seemed like a simple task at first but after a couple of hours at work, Harry realized that the Potions homework had done nothing but stressed it him out. He had a couple sentences left to write down, but he couldn't finish it. He was rather fatigued and all he wanted to do was sleep. He heard the faint sound of a door downstairs opening, and with a quick slam, Harry knew his Uncle Vernon was home. Harry's stomach was growling quite loudly, but he wasn't exactly running to eat that food that Petunia cooked. Since he was still grounded, he figured it best to stay in his room anyway.   
  
That was a good statement. About a half hour later, Harry heard the footsteps of Aunt Petunia outside the door, and once they had left, Harry opened the door like he had yesterday and retrieved his food. It was a slop of noodles and some kind of...Meat substance.  
  
' Interesting,' Harry thought, 'maybe it could be used in an experiment...'  
  
It wasn't long though before Harry sadly nibbled at the monstrosity of food, trying his best to satisfy his hunger. After a couple of bites or so, he found himself almost gagging and needing to stop. He was full enough. It was only about six thirty now, and he had a couple of hours to waste before bedtime. What could he do? He really didn't know. Hedwig was sleeping peacefully in her cage and most of Harry's stuff had been put away...Maybe he could write to Ron! He hadn't done that in some time...But since he figured Ron would be giving him a present, he pondered if he should send Hedwig to do the job. Deciding against it, Harry pulled out a piece of paper and something to write with; he had decided to just let the letter go back with the Weasley family owl.  
  
"Dear Ron," Harry began out loud. "Hope everything's going okay." As he spoke, he wrote, and with a rather speedy pace at that. "I apologize for not having sent you any letters lately, but the Dursleys have been keeping long watches on me and I barely even had time to do my vacation work. It's been rather hectic. So what did you write about for your paper in Transfiguration? I spoke with Hermione and we both did Animagus things, but completely different topic ideas. She called me, but I got in trouble because Uncle Vernon found out. What a bother that was..." Harry scribbled some more words onto the paper before finishing off with "so I can happily say I'd enjoy staying with you all the week before. I'm sure the Dursleys want nothing more than to rid themselves of me for the time. I hope to hear from you soon. - Harry."  
  
Harry had just finished writing his name when his window opened up, this time a whole bundle of owls flying in. Harry was quite sure that it would be in his best interest to keep them as quiet as he could, or Uncle Vernon would most likely throw him out on the street. He knew the owls almost instantly. One from Hermione, one from Ron, one from Hagrid of course, and the newest, from his Godfather Sirius. Harry was almost in heaven, as he had been the past year when he received gifts from all his friends.   
  
He opened Ron's first. It was a picture of him and his family. All of them were waving at him and in the middle was Ron, whom he hadn't seen all during the vacation. He had grown a lot, and not to mention every other Weasley, discluding his parents. Amast the sea of red hair was Ginny's curly ones, and Hermione was right, she -had- grown a lot. She wasn't as round faced as she had been, more defined cheekbones visible. She had grown vertically and her weight was evenly proportioned. She seemed...much prettier than Harry remembered. There were George and Fred on either side of Ron and Ginny, Percy now on the sideline. He looked just as serious as ever, and even though Harry swore it wasn't there, he saw a smile on Percy's face. Ron's older brothers weren't there, sadly, but Harry could imagine that they were busy. There was a note from Ron as well. Harry decided to read that a bit later on.  
  
Next was Hagrid's gift. It was a cake. Small, cylindrical and covered with frosting (which read "Happy 15th Harry"), and a small note on the side.   
  
"To Harry; Yer finally growin' up. now that yer fifteen, things shuld be changin' and I 'ope everythin' goes well. Best to ya - Hagrid".  
  
Harry smiled warmly and set Hagrid's present aside. It was a rather heartfelt present, like it always had been, and it made Harry feel happier. Second to last gift was from Sirius, and with a smile, Harry opened the envelope. Out fell a letter after the envelope was opened,and Harry gathered it up. It read:  
  
"Dear Harry,  
  
How have you been? I hope better than usual. Buckbeak and I have been rather well, but lately, life has been boring. I know, I haven't much room to complain, being free and all, but I'd just like to see how you've grown. You're 15...And...You probably are looking more like your father every day. Although I know you hear it a lot, it's a compliment. James had many a gel chasing him back then...Until he had met Lily, that is. Enough about your parents...How are Hermione and Ron? Doing well? I spoke with Remus a while back...He sends his regards and a happy birthday to you. I've got to be going now, there are some muggles about and I'm not about to be seen again.  
  
Do write back; Hedwig can find me.  
~Sirius"  
  
Harry held back a sigh. It must've been nice knowing his parents like Sirius did. Anything Harry wanted to know, Sirius would most likely tell him. He really appreciated that. Along with the notebook of pictures Harry had, knowing more about his parents made him feel more and more normal each day. Harry put the letter back inside the envelope, setting it on top of the Weasley picture for the moment.  
  
Last was the gift from Hermione. It was rectangular, which most likely meant it was a book of some sort. Harry knew that Hermione had taken tons of work with her over the holidays, so maybe she sent it by mistake?  
  
After unwrapping the paper, however, Harry was quite surprised. It was a box with a ribbon around it. Not quite sure what it was, Harry slid the ribbon off and parted the box pieces, revealing a rather luxurious looking robe. It was velvet, a dark brown color, with the Gryffindor symbol sewed on the right breast. Harry pulled it out and smiled brightly, holding it out and gazing over it. This must have been very expensive, but how did Hermione know his sizes? He hadn't grown much, but he still grew nonetheless. The thought, though, and the money! Hermione must have gone through a lot to get this for him. Why though?   
  
Harry slid the robe onto his body, the very end of the hem reaching the top of his ankles. For a moment they stayed at that length, but a second later, the hem magically grew down to the tip of his feet. Harry stood in rather straight awe. He hadn't expected that. Self-fitting robes? How...Unique! Hermione went all out this year. Harry would have to get something very special for her too.  
  
Harry picked up the letter he had written for Ron, and just as the owls were close to leaving, Harry gave it to the Weasley family owl. The four feathered creatures flew out the window in unison, and just in time too. Harry heard some voices from outside, and it was apparent that the Dursleys were on their way out. Harry had forgotten that they had dinner plans for the evening. Quite confused, Harry wondered exactly -why- they were leaving him at home like this. When he tried to leave his room, he had found out why they didn't say anything.  
  
The door was locked.   
  
Harry cursed to himself quietly, and with a sigh, he went back to his bed and smiled at all the gifts he had received. This birthday certainly topped the rest.   
  
~*~******************************~*~  
  
Author's Notes: I couldn't remember the name of Ron's bird for the life of me...Anybody help me out? I know what it IS but I can't spell it...oh, and review please ^_^ 


	3. Oversized Books and Dinner

Author's Notes: Whee...*clears throat* Ahem...Please enjoy this chapter.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene/Time change  
  
----------------------------- = Next day  
  
~*~***************************~*~  
  
The days had passed quite quickly for Harry. Before he knew it, he was packing up his stuff and heading out on his way to the Weasley's. When he finally arrived, Ron took his friend up to his room and helped him unpack.   
  
The summer had done much to Ron. His red hair had lightened greatly, while he had sprouted upward a lot. He was a little taller than Harry now, both boys reaching close to around six feet. It was quite surprising. While Ron helped Harry to put his stuff away, he cleared his throat.  
  
"So how've you been doing lately?"  
  
Harry turned around and shrugged. "Doing alright, I suppose. Thanks for the picture!"   
  
Ron smiled a bit and sighed. "I apologize for it being so small. We were facing a bit of a tightened budget..."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I still like it. I just need a picture of you, me and Hermione together and I'll be happy. My two best friends and my favorite family."  
  
Ron chuckled a bit as he pulled out Hermione's robes that she had bought for Harry, gawking at them. "Harry, who bought these for you?!" He examined the hems of the robes with an amazed glint in his eyes.  
  
Instantly knowing that Ron was looking at, Harry couldn't really say. He didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, but he couldn't exactly lie either. "Just a gift from Hermione."  
  
"Oh...Well, it's really neat! It's quite dashing!"  
  
"Well, when we see her I can tell her. But uh...It's just for school. I stick with regular clothes like everyone else."  
  
Ron nodded and smiled a little. "Well, I'd say someone's got a little twinkle in their eyes for you, Harry. I doubt she's done this for anyone else."  
  
"Oh Ron, that's not true. She's Hermione. She doesn't have time to do anything but study."  
  
"But she's always had time to help you, Harry."  
  
"You know..." Harry began, "now that I think about it, you're right. Except for when she was mad at us..."  
  
"More so me than you."  
  
"Yes, I suppose..." Harry sighed, folding up a few of his shirts and setting them in the dresser next to Ron's clothes. "Thanks for letting me stay with you, Ron. And I apologize for-"  
  
"Ah don't worry about it, Harry. Not your fault."  
  
"Well then, wanna go play some Wizard Chess?"  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The next few days, as usual, had passed by rather quickly. Ron and Harry were acting as if they had never spent any time apart, and after dinner, Harry helped Ron with some of his holiday homework. Though it was relatively easy doing it the second time around, Ron seemed to be having problems with the Potions reports. As much as he wanted to just throw it aside, Harry wouldn't let him. After finally finishing the report a day or two later, owls from the school came bearing the Weasley's and Harry's schedules. It wasas time for the them to go to Diagon Alley so they could get their school shopping done.  
  
It didn't take them long to get there, and once they arrived, Mrs. Weasley's first stop with the kids was Gringott's Bank. Upon walking in, Mrs. Weasley led Harry and the others to the front desk.   
  
"Good morning," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, the goblin looking over her with a slightly annoyed impression. They always looked like that. "We need to go to the Weasley and Potter funds."  
  
The goblin nodded, and his eyes peered over the group. "Come with me."  
  
"You all stay here and I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked, smiling over all of them before she disappeared into the vaults.  
  
"I say," Fred began, "this year should be more interesting than last..."  
  
"Why d'you say that, Fred?" Ron asked, looking slightly confused. "It's nothing new..."  
  
George chuckled. "Well, think about it! You've got your O.W.L.'s to work for! The school year will be mad for you!"  
  
Harry's expression didn't change much, but his stomach fell. O.W.L.s....Fred and George had those, and they didn't do too well...But then again, they were jokers at heart and they probably didn't study much. Now, for the trio, this would be a tiny task. They spent so much time working on homework (when they had free time) and studying that Harry figured they would pass with over the highest amount.  
  
Harry wasn't quite paying any attention to the goings on about him, and when he brought himself back to, Mrs. Weasley was there, two separate, but quite different sized bags with her.   
  
"Now," she sighed, "Fred and George, I want you to take Ginny around and get her stuff, and yours as well. Ron and Harry, I saw Hermione earlier, and I'm sure that you'll want to speak with her and stay around for a while. Fred, George, I want you to keep an eye on them, but don't crowd them, alright? Get your stuff and come back to the Burrow safely! I've got to get going back home, though, I have to go home and get some things done. I'll see you when you return!" With that, there was a pop! and Mrs. Weasley had disapparated.  
  
Setting his hand on Ginny's shoulder, Fred looked over the others. "Come on, then. We'll meet you guys at Flourish and Blotts in an hour. Give you some time to spend with Hermione..." he had a sing song tone to his voice. The three Weasley's wandered off, leaving Harry and Ron in front of Gringotts.   
  
"Where d'you think she is?" Ron inquired, scratching his chin. Hermione did enjoy a stop at the ice cream parlor... "Think maybe she's at the ice cream parlor?"  
  
"Most likely," Harry replied as he looked over his schedule. He had decided to take Arithmancy this year, along with the study of Ancient Runes. His schedule was fuller than last year by far. Ron had signed up for the same two classes as Harry, having all but one class together with Hermione. The two boys walked along the busy streets of Diagon Alley, brushed against by people that seemed to have no care in mind as to others' well being. When they had finally reached their destination, they noticed Hermione sitting in the corner at a table with her mother.  
  
She was quite different than the year before, looks wise. Her bushy hair had been grown out, curling just a bit. She had gained an inch or two over the summer, since her feet were no longer dangling on the ground but planted firmly against it. She wore a deep royal blue colored sweater and a skirt that was down to her feet. She was beginning to take on the look of her mother.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry called out as he stepped up the steps.  
  
Turning her attention to the door, Hermione smiled brightly and waved to him. "Harry! Ron! Over here!"  
  
Both boys had arrived at the table and sat down, nodding a greeting to Mrs. Granger. She smiled at them and stood, heading off to the bathroom so they could be alone.  
  
"How're you doing?" Hermione asked anxiously.   
  
"Rather well," Harry began, "thanks for the robes. They're really wonderful. Where'd you find them?"  
  
With a smile, Hermione leaned in and whispered, "I enchanted them, actually. I got a little pardon, though, by Mr. Weasley."  
  
"My dad gave you a pardon on it!?" Ron exclaimed in a whisper, curious. "He never did that for me...!"  
  
"Well, I asked him to...But he liked the idea of having a robe like that. He thought that he might try to bring it into the ideas for the Ministry. That's why," Hermione explained.  
  
"It -is- a nice idea..." Ron added, a light sigh coming from him. He was going to talk to his father later. As much as Ron liked the idea, he couldn't help but notice his father had played favorites with his two best friends, but not him. What was with that?  
  
"What about you?" Harry asked as he looked to Hermione. She had obviously been through some changes. Her skin was a bit tanner that Harry remembered it being.  
  
"Just got back from France a bit ago. Mum and Dad had told me that I would need to start studying for some muggle things as well. Besides flying a broom, I need to learn to drive a car."  
  
"Shouldn't be that hard for you," Ron muttered, "you understand everything the first time you read it."  
  
"Some of these laws are rather strange though. All the color matching and everything, you'd think it would be less of a challenge..." With a shake of her head, Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair.   
  
"Decided to let your hair grow out?" Harry asked, receiving a nod from Hermione.   
  
"I didn't want to cut it this year. It seems to be less bushy...It's one of those strange things in life, you know?  
  
"Well, that's good. Looks nice." Ron smiled a bit and ruffled up his short hair.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Before the trio had known it, the hour had flown past them. Harry, Ron and Hermione all traveled down the road to Flourish and Blotts, their school schedules in hand. Most of the things to get were relatively simple, The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5, Defense Against the Dark Arts: Level 5 and so on. Less crowded than it had been the last time they were here, the three noticed Fred, George and Ginny standing inside near the Encyclopedias.  
  
"Hullo," Harry said as he walked up to them. Ron and Hermione walked up beside him.  
  
"Ah! There you all are. We've been waiting." Fred had his books all ready, George and Ginny as well, all set in a stack nearby them. "Going to get yours, then?"  
  
Harry nodded. The three fifth year students gave the bookkeeper their schedules, the man hurriedly running about to pick up all the copies they needed. He set down seven books with each trip he took, returning with a huffing breath after his third and final trip. They each payed the man the money dued and then wandered back over to Fred, George and Ginny, carrying the surprisingly heavy amount of books with them.   
  
"Shall we be going back to the Burrow then, Fred?" George asked.  
  
Fred nodded, a smirk playing his face. "Looks like your books might be a bit much for you, eh Ronnie?"  
  
Ron grumbled a little and peered out from the giant mountain of books in his arms, giving Fred a glare before hiding his face once again. Harry thought it was time for him to intervene.  
  
"We should be going. Your mum is going to be expecting us soon, you know."  
  
When he turned to Hermione, he noted the look on her face before she quickly changed it. She looked...well, disappointed. Harry hated to leave so soon after only seeing her for a bit, but they needed to be at the Burrow soon. Mrs. Weasley was making dinner a bit earlier than she usually did.   
  
"D'you reckon your mum would mind if Hermione came with us? She probably wouldn't like to stay at home and study, of course."  
  
She gave a small huff, though Harry knew that it was just a bit of a front. She wanted to go and spend some time with her friends...Why wouldn't Mrs. Weasley say yes to that? The woman loved to cook...The more, the merrier.  
  
Fred gave George a curious look before shrugging. "Don't think mum'd mind, d'you?"  
  
George shook his head and snickered. "She absolutely adores Hermione. Like an extra daughter. Lord knows she has enough sons to deal with."  
  
Ginny glared at both Fred and George before smiling at Hermione. "Mum would love to see you again, Hermione. Let's just go, shall we?"  
  
"Wait...I've got to ask my mother. She's at the ice-cream shop, waiting for me." With that, Hermione set her books down and disappeared. Moments later she returned, Crookshanks in her arms. "Well, my mum said it was alright..." She gave them a big smile before leaning down to try and pick up her books.  
  
Fred chortled and then eyed Hermione. "You know you can't carry all that...Just let the cat walk beside you, eh?"  
  
Crookshanks purred a little and let himself be dropped from Hermione's arms, rubbing up against her skirted leg. She picked up her books again with a small grunt, nodding. "He'll be a good cat. Let's be going, then!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Mum, we're home!" Fred pushed open the door and stood in its way, letting everyone in before stepping in himself. All the boys just dropped their books onto the couch, Ginny and Hermione -placing- them in front of the piece of furniture. The Weasley boys wandered into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley working away on cleaning dishes.   
  
"In here!" she called, letting out a surprised gasp when she saw Hermione wander in politely. "Oh Hermione! What a pleasure seeing you here! Did you come to stay with us? Did you need some clothes? I noticed you didn't have any! I'll send an owl to your mum and get you some! Oh wait, I forgot they're muggles...Well, you can borrow some of Ginny's clothes. You two are about the same size, aren't you?"  
  
From the looks of it, Hermione was still about the same width that she was last year, just a bit taller. Ginny's clothes should fit her. She just nodded, Mrs. Weasley telling Ginny to take the other girl upstairs. Ginny gave her mom a light nod before taking Hermione up to her room. With that, Mrs. Weasley turned ehr attention to the boys.  
  
"Alright then, boys. We'll be having dinner soon...Go get washed up, hm? Fred, George, I want you to two to go rid the lawn of all those annoying gnomes. It'll be a nice night and I want us to eat outside. As for you, Harry and Ron, you too take the books and put them upstairs in your room. Take Hermione's with you. Dinner will be ready in a while, so you just enjoy yourselves until then." She clapped her hands together rather loudly. "Vamoosh!"  
  
Fred and George both gave an over-dramatic groan before heading outside while Harry and Ron moved into the living room and grabbed ahold of their own stack of books, each taking half of Hermione's. Felt like the weight of the world was in their arms...  
  
"Jeez, they assume we need to learn more the older we get!" Ron grunted as he took a step up the winding staircase. "I think I might pull a muscle!"  
  
"I think so too, Ron," Harry said in a strained voice. He didn't want to feel that...Must've been hell.  
  
It only took them a few minutes before they arrived at the entrance to Ron's room. He kicked the door open and hurriedly scuttled over to his bed, dropping the books down and collapsing beside them. He was beat. Harry did the same, dropping the books beside Ron's. He fell to the ground and let his form lay against the bed, taking in a deep breath.   
  
"Those books are absolutely horrid," Ron huffed.   
  
"You're telling me," Harry groaned, lifting a hand to his forehead.  
  
"Want to play a game of wizard chess, Harry?" Ron asked as he sat up.  
  
"Yeah, sure, why not." Harry gazed across the room, a light smile crawling onto his face. That'd pass the time.  
  
And it did just that. Ron and Harry played a few games, one taking a good hour before a winner had been decided. Hermione wandered in just as they finished their last game, her face looking a bit flushed.   
  
"Dinner's ready."  
  
Harry set his pieces back onto their original positions and then stood, blood rushing to his head. He really shouldn't have stood up so quickly. "Thanks, Hermione." With the door now open, Harry took a whif at the cooked food's smell, finding it now traveling upward into Ron's bedroom. Smelled heavenly.  
  
She smiled, nodding. "Not a problem. We should be going downstairs..." She lowered her arms and pointed toward the door, turning around and beginning to head down them.  
  
Ron sniggered a little and nudged Harry in the shoulder. "You see, Harry? She was all aflutter upon seeing you..."   
  
Harry gave Ron and eyeroll and grabbed ahold of his robes. He dragged the Weasley boy downstairs. When they arrived in the kitchen, dishes of food were floating about haphazardly. They floated outside, landing on the giant table that was sitting in the middle of their yard. Hermione had wandered outside and was petting Crookshanks who was sitting in her lap.   
  
"Mum, if you're not careful, you're going to hit somebody upside the head." Ron smirked at Harry before quickly wiping it off of his face when his mother looked at him.   
  
"Ronald, just go outside and take Harry with you. Dinner will be outside in less than a minute."  
  
Ron knew better than to not listen to his mother. He and Harry stepped outside, the evening air warm with a gentle breeze. There were lanterns hanging around the area, giving it just enough light to seem like they were inside. Hermione had moved to the table while Crookshanks went off to chase one of the many gnomes that Fred and George had missed. They took a seat on the opposite side of the table, Harry tapping his fingers against it. This was what he enjoyed...Just spending time at the Burrow with the people who cared about him and those who he cared about. Hermione shifted and moved her feet under the table, a content sigh escaping her.  
  
"This is nice," she said while giving the both of them a smile.  
  
Harry nodded while Ron watched as the food float outside and onto the table. It was nearly finished...Not often did he get to see something like that happen. He just continued to watch it while the rest traveled out, taking its rightful place on the table.  
  
"You know what I've been wondering?" Harry asked, staring blankly over Hermione's head into the forest. They both looked at him and he lowered his head. "Who's going to be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"  
  
"We've been through enough of them," Ron muttered. "We could probably teach the class."  
  
"Oh Ron," Hermione sighed, "I don't think any of us would ever be that good. But you're right, Harry...I wonder too..."  
  
"Maybe it'll be Lockhart again," Ron stated.  
  
"Let's hope not," Harry said flatly.  
  
"Whoever it is," Hermione began, "I surely hope they know what they're doing..."  
  
Harry nodded in agreement, Ron just watching as his mum waddled outside. Mr. Weasley was waltzing out behind her, messing with his robes. Percy was also walking behind them rather stifly, as if someone had stuck a pin up his bum.  
  
"Alright everyone!" Mrs. Weasley called out as she stepped toward the table, "Time to eat!"  
  
Each other Weasley took their seat at the table before Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Forgot the dinnerware!" She waved her wand toward the back door and within a few seconds, the door slipped open and nine plates came floating out, followed by a set of knives and forks for each of them. They each landed in front of each person, organizing themselves neatly only to be hurriedly grabbed ahold of and jabbed into the food. They dished up and began to chat with oneanother, Harry Ron and Hermione sitting near the edge now.   
  
"What if it's a woman this time?" Ron asked as he plopped some mashed potatoes onto his plate.  
  
"That'd be a welcome change!" Hermione said. She poked at a slice of ham and set it on her plate ride beside the corn that she had. That was apparently all she was eating.  
  
"Just because it's been four men so far," Harry started, taking a bite out of his roll, "doesn't mean it won't be another man. I wouldn't doubt if they got some young person in there like Quirrell..."  
  
"Who knows," Ron said with a shrug. They never kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a year at a time, as if the job carried some sort of curse. The whole school knew just how much Professor Snape, the potions master wanted the job. If he was their teacher this year, there would be some highly angry students.  
  
The lot of them continued their dinner for quite some longer time. The food gradually began to disappear and bellies grew outward until finally each and every person sitting at the table was full to the brim. Harry and Hermione thanked Mrs. Weasley for the wonderful dinner, the older woman nearly tearing up before turning a bit angry and giving Fred and George a glare. One of the gnomes had stolen a piece of cake that was for dessert, but Crookshanks chased it down. The creature didn't exactly prevail, however, the gnome dragging the tasty sweet into his hole. Harry reached for his plate, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head and told him, Ron and Hermione to go upstairs and enjoy themselves. "These are your last few days of the holiday break," she told them, "and they shouldn't be wasted working on cleaning dishes."  
  
Not too eager to disagree, the trio went upstairs and relocated to Ron's room. Hermione took a seat near the window while Harry and Ron 'pushed' the books gently to the floor, causing a rather loud thump to sound through the house. They then took a seat on the top of the messed up covers, a content smile upon each of their faces.  
  
"Can't believe we've only got a week longer before we go back to Hogwarts," Hermione sighed, gazing out the window into the starry sky. Both Ron and Harry nodded, feeling the disbelief as well. They'd be in their fifth year...time seemed to sure pass quickly.  
  
"I know..." Harry said as he began to stare out the window as well. It seemed like they had just started their first year the year before...It was strange how much life seemed to change and twist.  
  
Ron just nodded, plopping his head onto his pillow. His arms fell onto his chest as he yawned a little.   
  
"Tired already?" Hermione laughed, giving Fred a curious look before returning her gaze to the night sky. She was feeling so a bit herself, especially after a meal like that. After spending all that time in France, she found that not even the sweetest truffle or the tastiest escargot could compare to how much she missed being in the wizarding world. She felt like she was at home again.  
  
"Actually..." Harry said before giving into a yawn himself, "I'm sort of tired myself..."  
  
Hermione glanced at Harry and then smiled, looking down to the floor. "I'll go then so you two sleepy-heads can get a wink or two."  
  
Ron gave Hermione a weak chortle before chuckling sincerely. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed her rather sweet, caring nature. He fell to another yawn. "Thanks, Hermione...If you go downstairs, tell mum that Harry and I decided to hit the sack early, would you?"  
  
She just nodded, slipping off of the window sill and moving over toward the door. She grasped the knob before speaking. "Yes, I'll let her know. I do think Percy's going to enjoy the quietness...See you both in the morning. Sleep well." Both Ron and Harry gave Hermione her good night before she exited, Harry just plopping backward on Ron's bed.  
  
"I think I might just fall asleep here."  
  
"There's another bed, you know. There isn't enough room for the both of us." Ron gave Harry an overly rude scoff. He was only playing.  
  
Harry sat up and then jumped toward his designated bed, spreading out on it. "Well fine then! I see how it is...You just want me to leave you alone. I can take a hint. Geez, Ron..."  
  
Ron laughed before throwing his pillow at Harry. He shouldn't've done that, though, because Harry threw it back rather fast, causing the boy to fall backward onto his bed.  
  
"Good night, Ron," Harry yawned. He stretched out and pulled the pillow close to his cheek. He removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand.  
  
"G'night, Harry," Ron said softly. He just rolled over and buried his face into the pillow.  
  
~*~**********************************~*~  
  
Author's notes: Ooh...Hope you liked it! ^_^ Review, if you'd be so kind... 


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